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Madonna adoption challenge begins Madonna adoption challenge heard
(10 minutes later)
A legal challenge has begun to Madonna's bid to adopt a baby boy from Malawi, brought by a coalition of the country's human rights groups. A legal challenge to Madonna's bid to adopt a baby boy from Malawi, brought by a coalition of the country's human rights groups has again been adjourned.
An alliance of 67 groups is pushing for the right to challenge the interim adoption order which let Madonna take one-year-old David Banda from Malawi.An alliance of 67 groups is pushing for the right to challenge the interim adoption order which let Madonna take one-year-old David Banda from Malawi.
David's father is opposed to moves to halt the adoption.David's father is opposed to moves to halt the adoption.
The judge is being asked to decide if the government broke its own rules by allowing an intra-country adoption. The judge says he will decide next Monday if the group will be allowed to participate in the adoption hearings.
"Basically what we are asking the court is that we want to be joined as a party to the assessment because we have a lot of legal issues we want to raise," the group's Justin Dzonzi, told journalists after the one-and-half hour hearing.
Mr Dzonzi said the rights groups want Malawi's adoption laws clarified to avoid the trafficking and abuse of Malawian children. He said currently the laws that are being used are archaic, a situation he said that has led to a lot of illegal adoptions.
Madonna has denied using her wealth to fast-track the process.Madonna has denied using her wealth to fast-track the process.
She also told the BBC she had offered to support 14-month-old David and leave him in Malawi but his father declined. Madonna's Malawian lawyer Alan Chinula told journalists as far as Madonna was concerned all Malawian adoption laws were complied with.
If the challenge is successful, Judge Andrew Nyirenda would allow a full-fledged appeal at a later hearing. "My clients followed all legal channels; if the laws are archaic it's not the Ritchie's fault," he said.
Madonna funds six orphanages through her Raising Malawi charity and is setting up an orphanage for 4,000 children in a village outside the capital, Lilongwe.Madonna funds six orphanages through her Raising Malawi charity and is setting up an orphanage for 4,000 children in a village outside the capital, Lilongwe.